Ink-well.



W. J. SOMERVILLE. INK WELL.

APPLICATION FILED nic. I8. I9I I.

1,1 86,239. Patnted une 6, 1916.

THE COLUMBIA PLANoGR/mn co..'w.\sI-IINGTDN. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. SOMERVILLE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

INK-WELL;

Application filed December 1S, 1911.

To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, IVILLIAM J. SOMER- viLLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Ink-Vells, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to ink well supports, and particularly to that variety which are permanently mounted within an opening in a desk with the cover of the ink well flush with the top surface of the desk.

The invention comprehends an ink well support comprising a frame which supports an ink receptacle, a cap surmounting the same, and a cover which is pivoted between the frame and the cap. The frame is made from a blank consisting of a single piece of sheet metal which is cut from the stock upon one operation of the stamping dies, and said blank is afterward bent into proper form. The surmounting cap and the'closure or cover for the ink receptacle are each formed from a single piece of metal and subsequently assembled with the frame. In my former Patent No. 960,726, of June 7, 1910, I have set forth and claimed an ink well support of this general type which, like the present one, is simple of construction and cheap to manufacture and one which, when mounted upon the desk, will have the closure or cover flush with the top surface thereof. I have, however, employed certain changes in the design of the ink well support which constitutes my present invention, over the one shown in my patent, which strengthens the frame of the ink well, causes it to engage more firmly the sides of the aperture in which it is placed, facilitates its construction, and, in various other aspects, makes it, I believe, more desirable than the former construction. A

Generally speaking, the invention comprises the elements and combinations which are set forth in the accompanying claims.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the ink well support showing its position when mounted upon a desk; Fig. 2 is a central vertical section o f the same, the cover being shown in its open position; Fig. 3 is a cross section upon the line 3- 3 of Fig. 2 looking Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 6, 1916.

serial No. 666,416.

in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 4f is a plan view of a metallic blank as it comes from the stamping dies, which blank is to be bent to form the frame; Fig. 5 is aplan view of the blank from which the cap piece is to be formed, and Fig. 6 is a plan View of the cover.

The ink well support herein shown and described is especially well adapted for use in connection with ,school desks, where it is important that the top of the device shall lie flush with the top surface of the desk to eliminate the danger of the accidental upsetting of the ink well and in order that the ink well may not interfere with the use of the desk when books or other objects are placed thereon. However', I do not limit my invention to this single use.

The device comprises the frame, a cap piece which surmounts the frame and is secured thereto by lugs which are formed integral with the cap piece, a cover which is pivotally held between the top of the frame and the cap piece, and an ink 'receptacle which is supported by and held within the frame.

The frame 1 is substantially U-shaped, as is shown in Figs. 1 and Q, and is formed of the blank illustrated in Fig. 4. Referring to the said figure, that portion of the blank above the dotted lines zi-a forms, when the to be bent in a plane parallel to the plane' of the bottom 5 and thus provide ianges which jointly form a substantially circular top for said frame. lThe tongues 7 7 are struck from that portion of the blank above the dotted line a-a. These tongues are bent outwardly from the blank along the dotted lines in a curve, which, when the blank is formed into the frame, is concentric with the vertical center thereof. Holes are punched within the blank beyond the upper ends of the tongues 7 7 with curved outer edges parallel to the curved end of the blank. Intermediate the holes and between the tongues, a strip of material 8 connects the curved end of the blank with the portion 5. IVhen the frame is formed, this strip assumes the shape shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and forms, with the tongues 7 7, a substantially semicylindrical front wall for the frame. Holes 9 are punched in the end of the blank which is designed to form the rear wall of the frame 1, with curved outer ends parallel to the curved edge 6 of the blank; and between these holes is a strip of material 10. In the forming of the frame, this strip is bent at right angles to the back and the top of the frame and is pressed downward and outward into the position shown in Fig. 2.

The circular cap 2 which is formed from the blank shown in Fig. 5, surmounts the frame 1. The projections 11 which extend from the edge of the cap are bent downwardly to occupy the notches 12 in the front and rear edges 6 and 6 respectively of the top of the frame, and are clenched beneath the same. The central portion of the cap 2 is cut away to form a substantially circular opening therethrough, into which project angular pieces 13.

A cover 14, shown in Fig. 6, which is similar in shape to the opening in the cap 2, occupies said opening and forms a closure for the ink well. The cover is provided with a pair of trunnions 15 which are journaled in sockets' 16 formed within the horizontal portion of the top of the iframe adj acent to its rear edge 6 and on either side of the opening formed by the depression of the strip 10.

When the cap piece 2 is placed upon the frame 1, the angular pieces 13 cover the sockets 16 in the similarly shaped pieces of the frame top, and confine the trunnio-ns 15 within the sockets. The sockets are of suffi- .cient size to permit easy operation of the It will be seen that in the constructionhere described, a substantial support is provided for the ink receptacle 4, the receptacle being protected in front by the tongues 7-7 and the strip 8, and in the rear by the wall of the frame.

The edges 19 of the frame which are formed by the long sides of the blank are tapering, as is indicated particularly in Fig. 4. This is for the purpose of holding the frame securely in place by producing a wedging action between the frame and the sides of the hole when the frame is inserted into the hole in the desk. Directly above these edges 19, the cap piece 2 is provided As the hole in the desk is made the same diameter as the cap piece 2, the ink well sup-- port may be pressed into the hole until its upper surface is exactly flush with the up:- per surface of the desk. The device is supported by the frictional engagement of the edges 19 with the sides of the hole, and by the projections 20 on the cap which are, of course, embedded in the wood the thickness of the metal. Owing to the fact that the vertical edges 19 of the same are spaced apart an appreciable distance, rocking of the frame in the hole is absolutely prevented.

That portion of the blank which is designed to form the rear wall and upper rear top portion of the frame contains the sockets or journals for the trunnions of the cover. Any amount of pressure may be applied to the edges 19 of the rigid rear wall of the frame, for forcing the frame into place without danger of distorting or twisting it. Therefore, the sockets or journals 16 will remain in perfect alinement and freedom of movement of the cover at all times is insured.

I claim- 1. An inkwell support of the type adapted for insertion in a hole in a wooden desk, said support comprising, in combination, a frame having outwardly projecting, longitudinally extending, engaging portions adapted to engage the sides of the hole, and a cap secured to said frame and having projections at its edges located substantially in alinement with said engaging portions.

2. An inkwell support of the type adapted for insertion in a hole in a wooden desk, said support comprising, in combination, a sheet metal frame of substantially U-shape, the side edges of said frame being spaced apart and extending substantially parallel with the axis of the frame and adapted to engage the sides of the hole at separated points, a i

portion of one of said sides being extended outwardly to form a recess adapted to receive an ink receptacle, and a cap secured to the upper ends of said sides and adapted to enter the upper portion of said hole so as to close the same.

3. An inkwell support of the type adapted for insertion in a hole in a wooden desk and adapted for the reception of a glass receptacle having a flat back, said .support comprising, in combination, a frame formed of a single piece of sheet metal which is bent to substantial U-shape, the sides of said U being'spaced apart to receive an ink receptacle and the bottom of said U serving as a support for the bottom of such receptacle, the upper extremities of said sides being bent laterally outi'vard to form top flanges', one of said sides forming a support for the flat back for said receptacle, and the other being bent to form a curved retaining front wall for the front of said receptacle.

el. The combination with an ink receptacle having a curved front wall and a substantially flat or plane rear wall, of a frame for said receptacle bent from a single piece of metal and having a substantially flat 0r plane rear wall and a curved front wall cooperating with the co-rresponding walls of said receptacle respectively, the line upon which said plate is bent being substantially parallel with the rear wall of said receptacle.

5. The combination, with an ink well having a curved front wall and a substantially flat or plane rear wall, of a frame for said receptacle bent from a single piece of metal and having a substantially flat or plane rear wall coperating with the corresponding wall of' the receptacle and a curved front wall cooperating withthe corresponding front wall of said receptacle and forming a seat for the front lower end of the receptacle.

G. An inkwell support comprising a frame of general U-shape bent from a single piece of sheet metal, the sides of said frame being spaced apart and the upper end of each of said sides being laterally outturned to form a flange, a brace connecting the central portion of one of said flanges with the bottom portion of said frame, the space between said brace and the opposite side of the frame forming' a chamber adapted for the reception of an ink receptacle, and means engaging said flanges to prevent displacement of the same and of the sides ofthe frame.

7. An ink well support comprising a frame of general U-shape bent from a single piece of sheet metal, the sides of said frame being' spaced apart and each of said sides being formed with a pair of vertical slots spaced upon opposite sides of the median portion thereof and terminating short of the free end thereof, the end portion of each of said sides beyond said slots being turned laterally outwardly to form a flange, and the median portion of each of said sides being disposed laterally outwardly from the plane of such side but without severing the same at either of said flanges, one of said displaced portions forming in connection with the opposite side of the frame a recess for the reception of the ink receptacle, an annular cap member secured to said flanges, and a cover pivoted in said cap member and having an extension movable in the space defined by the other of said displaced portions.

S, An ink well support comprising, in combination, a frame formed from a single piece of sheet metal bent to substantially U-.

shape and having upwardly projecting front and rear sides and a central bottom portion connecting said sides, each of said sides being formed with a pair of spaced vertical slots disposed upon opposite sides of the median portionand terminating short of the upper end portion thereof, the slots in the forward side extending substantially to the said bottom portion, the upper' end portions of each of said sides being bent laterally outward to form flanges, and said median portions being displaced laterally outward away from the planes of their respective sides toform flanges the upper faces whereofl lie substantially in the same plane, the rearward flange being formed at the outer sideof each of said slots with depressed, pivot-receiving portions, a flat annular' cap secured to the upper faces of said flanges, and a cover having a shape conforming' to the aperture in said cap and having laterally projecting trunnions received in said depressed portions whereby the same is pivotally secured in place.

9. An ink well support comprising, in combination, a frame of substantially U- shape having upwardly projecting spaced front and rear sides and a central bottom portion connecting said sides, the end portions of each of said sides being bent laterally outwardly to form flanges and having their upper faces in substantially the same plane, the median portion of the rearward flange and of the side adjacent thereto being severed from the lateral portions thereof by vertical slots and displaced outwardly from the plane of such rear side to form a recess, and a portion of the front side being also displaced outwardly in the opposite direction to form a second recess, an annular' cap member secured to the upper faces of said flanges whereby said frame is held in shape, the sides of said cap aperture having inwardly extending angular projections overlying the portions of said rear flange located at the outer sides of said slots, and a cover conforming in shape to the aperture in said cap and having trunnions located between said angular projections and the upper surface of said rearward flange, the portion of the cover at the rear of said trunnions being depressible into said first recess, and said second recess forming a space for the reception of an ink receptacle.

l0. In an ink well support, the combination of a frame formed from a single piece of sheet metal bent to substantially U-shape and having spaced sides and a bottom connecting said sides, the upper portion of each of said sides being bent laterally outwardly Y to form a flange, the upper faces of said flanges being substantially in the same plane, and one of said flanges having its inner median portion removed whereby a parallel walled recess is formed, a cap member secured to the upper faces of said flanges and having an aperture therein, the rear portion whereof corresponds to the shape of said recess, a cover in said aperture and conforming to the shape thereof, said cover being formed with trunnions and a portion of said recessed flange at the sides of said recess beingl formed with seats receiving said trunnions, the opposite side of said frame being displaced laterally outwardly for the reception of an ink receptacle.

11. In an ink well support, the combination of a frame formed from a single piece of sheet metal bent to substantially U-shape and having vertical sides, the median portion or each of said sides being severed from the lateral portion thereof by means of vertical slits which terminate short of the eX- tremities of said sides, the extremities of said sides being bent laterally outwardly to form flanges and each of said severed portions being displaced laterally outwardly from the plane of its respective side to form a recess, the metal of the frame at the sides of one of said median portions being bent laterally outwardly to form with said displaced portion an inkwell receiving recess, and means engaging said flanges for maintaining them and the frame sides in lixed relative position.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto ailix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

VILLIAM J. SOMERVILLEL Witnesses:

J. B. HULL, BRENNAN B. VVns'r.

Copies of this patent may be obtainedifor ve cents nach, by addressing the Commissioner o! intents, Washington, D. ci" 

